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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched a live-fire test of multiple rocket launch systems alongside his teenage daughter Saturday, as the regime escalates weapons demonstrations amid joint U.S.–South Korea military exercises, state media reported.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim oversaw a strike drill involving twelve 600mm ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers along North Korea’s east coast, according to The Associated Press.

South Korea’s military said it detected about 10 ballistic missiles launched from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

KIM JONG UN APPEARS WITH DAUGHTER AT MAUSOLEUM, FUELING SUCCESSION SPECULATION

South Korea’s National Security Council condemned the launches as a provocation and said they violated United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests, The Associated Press reported.

Kim said the drill was meant to demonstrate the destructive capability of the country’s tactical nuclear forces, according to state media.

"If this weapon is used, the opponent’s military infrastructure within its striking range can never survive," Kim said.

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

Photos released by state media showed Kim Jong Un and his daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, about 13 or 14 years old — walking near launch trucks, The Associated Press reported.

Kim Ju Ae has appeared alongside her father at numerous military events, missile tests and parades since late 2022, fueling speculation that Kim Jong Un may be positioning her as a future successor.

NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG UN RE-ELECTED AS RULING PARTY LEADER

The live-fire test followed after the U.S. and South Korea began their annual military drills earlier this week, which North Korea routinely condemns as rehearsals for an invasion. 

Last month, Kim Jong Un reportedly gave his teenage daughter a leadership role in the regime’s powerful "Missile Administration," the body that oversees Pyongyang’s nuclear forces.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

The American flag flew again over the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela on Saturday, marking the first time it has been raised in the South American country in seven years.

The embassy compound in Caracas is still undergoing renovations, and officials have not announced when the building will fully reopen, The Associated Press reported.

The flag’s return comes months after former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. 

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The U.S. Embassy highlighted the moment in a social media post, calling it the start of a new chapter in relations between Washington and Caracas.

"A new era for U.S.-Venezuela relations has begun," the U.S. Embassy wrote on X.

Some residents expressed hope that the flag signals improved ties with the international community.

Caracas resident Alessandro Di Benedetto said the atmosphere among onlookers was optimistic, according to The Associated Press.

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"I found several people here surprised and happy because today they raised the U.S. flag at the embassy," he said. "This is positive; this is another step."

The embassy had been closed since March 12, 2019, when the U.S. and Venezuela cut diplomatic relations, according to the website for the U.S. Department of State.

Maduro was captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas on Jan. 3 and flown to New York, where he is currently being held in a federal jail.

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He faces multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons.

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, is also facing federal charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

Both pleaded not guilty during a federal court appearance in New York on Jan. 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The son of a British couple who have remained jailed in Iran for more than a year is appealing to President Donald Trump as the war in Iran complicates the situation.

"Conditions have intensified over the last couple of weeks, to say the least, as you might imagine with the complexity of war," Joe Bennett told Fox News on Saturday.

He said the notorious Evin prison where his parents are being held in Tehran was already at capacity and a recent surge of protesters has created severely crowded conditions.

"Food is scarce," he added. "We’re worried about the replenishment of their stocks of food. I mean, it’s unsanitary conditions. It has been described as ‘hell on Earth’ by them."

FREED IRANIAN PRISONER SAYS ‘IN TRUMP, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAS MET ITS MATCH’

He added, "With the bombs that are dropping and the activity that’s happening there at the moment, the anxiety is heightened for us and for them as well."

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested in January 2025 by Iranian authorities in January 2025, while on a global motorcycling trip, and were later sentenced to 10 years in prison on suspicion of spying.

Bennett spoke in Washington, D.C., Thursday at the McCain Institute’s US-UK Transatlantic Conference on Hostage-Taking and Arbitrary Detention, criticizing British leaders' — namely Prime Minister Keir Starmer — "non-existent" advocacy for his parents, BBC News reported.

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"The clear message to the U.K. government and Starmer is to stop hiding behind this as a consular case," Bennett told Fox News. "I think that was put out the window when they were sentenced to 10 years for espionage, accused of being spies for the Israeli Mossad and the U.K. government."

Bennett continued, "What we haven’t seen is leadership qualities from Keir Starmer. We haven’t seen him advocate since their sentencing to, as you say, condemn this sham process and the treatment of U.K. nationals." 

Starmer's silence has left Bennett's family feeling "let down," he said. "We feel there’s an opportunity to do so and there still is."

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Bennett stressed that his parents’ detention and sentencing "is hostage-taking."

"It affects not just the U.K., the U.S. as well, and Western civilization," Bennett added. "Innocent people are being targeted for leverage as political pawns."

He also urged Trump to be "concise" with Iranian strikes and not to forget that Brits and Americans are in that prison.

"Two things I’d like to say to Mr. Trump is, firstly, that safety is important," Bennett told Fox News. "Missiles have hit Evin in June of last year but also were very close, so I think the target — I just want him to be concise that, you know, so that Evin isn’t a part of that, and, secondly, is to not forget that they are there."

He noted that, along with his parents, U.S. nationals are also imprisoned at Evin.

"And as a humanitarian plea, from a son for his mother’s release is what I’m asking for," he said.

Protesters attacked a Communist Party headquarters in Cuba overnight, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire, while video from the scene appeared to capture gunfire and a man on the ground outside, according to footage obtained by Fox News Digital.

Cuban state media later denied that anyone had been struck by police gunfire and announced five arrests.

Dramatic footage shows a large crowd gathered outside the building in the city of Morón as a fire burns in the street and protesters throw burning objects at the structure.

Protesters can be heard chanting "Libertad, libertad!" — Spanish for "Freedom, freedom!" — moments before gunfire rings out in the video.

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A young man appears to collapse as others nearby scream in Spanish: "They shot him! They’re shooting! They said they wouldn’t shoot, but they shot him."

The video then shows people carrying the injured man away from the scene.

In another video obtained by Fox News Digital, large crowds can be seen marching through Morón’s unlit streets before unrest spread to the Communist Party headquarters.

Morón is located on Cuba's northern coast about 250 miles east of the capital Havana near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.

"The image circulating shows the scene of the protest, but it's important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured by gunfire," state media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba said on X.

"Media manipulation seeks to sow fear and confusion among our people. Let's not fall for provocations," it added.

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State media said police had detained five people and that a "drunken" participant fell and was being treated for injuries in hospital.

Over the past week, several small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots in protest against extended blackouts.

Cuba has faced rolling blackouts, food shortages and renewed protests tied to the island’s worsening energy and economic crisis.

A recent nationwide blackout was triggered by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the island’s largest power station, cutting electricity across much of the country, according to Reuters.

The crisis has been compounded by fuel shortages after the Trump administration moved to curtail oil shipments to the island, particularly from Venezuela — one of Cuba’s main suppliers.

Cuban officials say U.S. sanctions have worsened the country’s economic difficulties, while repeated power plant failures and an aging electrical grid have left millions facing prolonged blackouts that have fueled growing public frustration and protests.

"What initially began peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee," the state-run Invasor newspaper reported, according to Reuters.

"A smaller group of people stoned the entrance of the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area," it added.

Vandals also targeted several other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a government market, the report said.

On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that he was holding talks with the U.S. government, marking the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration.

Díaz-Canel said that no petroleum shipments have arrived in Cuba in the past three months and blamed a U.S. energy blockade for that. He said that the island is running on a mixture of natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The ghost of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has struck again. This time, even though he died in 2019, his is still adding to the stress and criticism of the World Economic Forum.

On Feb. 26, WEF president and CEO Børge Brende resigned after revelations that he had three dinners, and some emails and SMS communications with Epstein. His ouster followed an independent investigation earlier in February. 

Brende said he wasn’t aware of Epstein’s sex crimes. 

"Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation to join Rod-Larsen and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications," he said.

That response hasn’t been well received by observers, given that Epstein's conviction occurred in 2008 and would have been easy to uncover. As Norway's foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, perhaps he should have been more cautious, some observers say.

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"If you are standing on a public stage, you have to know who you are standing with," said Ben Habib, right-leaning leader of the British political party Advance UK, and an entrepreneur.

Founder of the U.K.-based Henry Jackson Society, Alan Mendoza, added, "The moral is that people in positions of authority should be very careful with whom they have dinner. Mendoza also wonders how many people with a criminal record have attended the WEF.

The news of Brende’s resignation comes hot on the heels of other scandals and bad publicity for the WEF, commonly known as Davos, after the Swiss village in the Alps where the annual meeting takes place. Last year, Klaus Schwab, the founder of the WEF, stepped down in July after accusations that he had misused WEF funds and treated employees inappropriately. 

Both Schwab and his wife were both ultimately cleared by the WEF board for any material wrongdoing, though a board of trustees statement noted in part that, "Minor irregularities, stemming from blurred lines between personal contributions and Forum operations, reflect deep commitment rather than intent of misconduct."

Others have a beef with the WEF. Two years ago, Argentina’s President Javier Milei spoke at Davos.

"The Western world is in danger," Millei said. "It is in danger because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty."

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Milei also noted that many countries have ditched freedom for collectivism, a.k.a., socialism.

"We’re here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world; rather, they are the root cause," he said at Davos in 2024.

Since 2023, when Milei took office as Argentina’s president, inflation has dropped from more than 200% to 32%, according to data from Trading Economics.

Likewise, others have a lot to tell the WEF, most of it not positive.

"Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at this year’s Davos meeting. "It’s a failed policy. It is what the WEF has stood for."

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The fact is, America has been left behind in the global economy as the WEF has encouraged offshoring manufacturing to places with cheap labor, Lutnick said. He also encouraged other countries to follow the "America First" model, which is that the workers come first.

Lutnick also attacked Europe’s alternative energy push, which includes solar and wind energy. "Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don’t make a battery? he said at Davos. Achieving net zero means countries aim to have no increase in overall carbon emissions by 2050.

But if Europe does pursue Net zero, then the EU will be subservient to communist China, Lutnick says. China is by far the dominant producer, accounting for approximately one-third of global renewable energy, compared with 11% in the U.S.

"The WEF is the embodiment of power and wealth," Habib said. "Big money is diverting policy. It’s fascism." He says the world may have been tricked into believing the economic promises made by globalist organizations. "The shine is now off. It is failing and not gaining traction."

The WEF isn’t the only organization that is running roughshod over multiple countries. The European Union is also doing similar work with the countries in its bloc through a multitude of regulations, Habib said.

THE Associated Press contributed to this report.

In March 2026, as the smoke cleared over Tehran following the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran’s leadership, Russia’s response was strikingly restrained. Despite a 20-year strategic partnership treaty signed with Tehran just last year, Moscow limited its reaction to condemnation and calls for diplomacy. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia had received no request from Iran for military assistance. "There were no requests from Iran in this case," Peskov told reporters on March 5th.

For analysts who study the relationship between Moscow and Tehran, the moment felt familiar. "The relationship has always been transactional," said Ksenia Svetlova, executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economy and Security (ROPES) and an associate fellow at Chatham House. "Russia does what serves its own interests."

While Iran and Russia have moved closer in recent years — particularly after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — experts say the partnership has never resembled a true alliance. Instead, they say, it reflects a long history of cooperation shaped by convenience, rivalry and shifting geopolitical needs.

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The uneasy relationship between the two powers stretches back nearly two centuries. In 1828, the Treaty of Turkmenchay forced Persia to cede large parts of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire after a military defeat. The treaty remains one of the most painful symbols of foreign domination in Iranian political memory.

In the twentieth century, Russia’s relationship with Iran shifted dramatically. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Moscow maintained relatively stable ties with Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. "It actually had good relations with the Shah who visited Moscow after World War II," Svetlova said.

"But Communist Russia was very suspicious of Islamist Iran after the 1979 revolution," said Svetlova. It was a mutual distrust; Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini denounced both Cold War superpowers, calling the United States the "Great Satan" and the Soviet Union the "Lesser Satan." 

Even during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the Soviet Union maintained ties with Tehran while simultaneously supplying weapons to Iraq. "The Soviet Union was very suspicious of Islamist Iran," Svetlova said. "Even after the revolution, the relationship could not really be considered an alliance."

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In recent years, however, geopolitical pressures pushed the two countries closer together. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created new military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. 

Though Russia and Iran have not shared a land border since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, they remain "neighbors" via the Caspian Sea. This "blue border" became a vital artery in 2022 when Iran supplied the Shahed-series drones used in Ukraine, that Russia has used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the partnership has had direct consequences on the battlefield. "Sadly, the world is just now getting a taste of Iranian drones. But there's one group that already knows them well, the Christians in Ukraine," Harward said. "Close to 600 Ukrainian churches have been destroyed by Russian attacks, including from the Iranian Shahed drones."

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former deputy assistant secretary of state, argued that Russia’s continued use of Iranian drones against Ukrainian targets underscores the depth of the military relationship, while its calls for restraint in the current conflict highlight a fundamental contradiction. "If Russia were serious about peace, we would see a ceasefire with Ukraine months ago," she said. "Yet, Putin continues to attack Ukrainian cities, churches and civilians with Iranian drones day after day."

And yet, Russia’s dependence on Iranian drones during the early stages of the Ukraine war has also diminished as Moscow built its own production capacity. A report cited by the Washington Post found that Russia has "transitioned from importing Iranian Shahed drones to mass-manufacturing them" under the name Geran-2.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia "should not be involved" in the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, as reports that Russia has provided information that could help Iran identify U.S. military assets in the Middle East emerged. Moscow has not publicly confirmed the claims. 

"I believe Russia is providing Iran intelligence to more effectively target Americans, our allies and partners in the CENTCOM region," said Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, a retired Air Force officer who served as assistant vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. "It's absolutely clear Russia is not our friend."

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"They are doing for the Iranians without spending money, spending troops or spending equipment," Svetlova added. "They share knowledge. They supplied the Iranians with a target list, basically, through their satellites – American targets, but also air targets in the Gulf and Iraq."

Harward argued that confronting this growing cooperation requires a broader strategy. "If we want to break the threat of the increasingly dangerous Russian-Iranian alliance, we need to fully decimate Iran's capabilities to threaten our allies and the United States – and we need to continue to support Ukraine and get Europeans to do their part," he said.

Filipetti remains skeptical of Moscow’s role as a mediator. "The idea that Russia would call on the U.S. and Israel to cease military operations against the regime in Iran and suggest that we should negotiate is absurd," Filipetti said.

Although Russia is falling short of helping Iran in a straightforward military way, experts say the cooperation in the world of intelligence has been profound. 

Ultimately, Newton argued that Russia’s actions should be viewed through the lens of President Vladimir Putin’s broader geopolitical goals. "Putin only does what serves Putin, and right now escalating the war in the Middle East and driving up oil prices only serves his interests so he can continue to fund his war machine against Ukraine," he said.

The State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information on Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and several senior officials linked to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Officials said the reward, part of the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, is an effort to gather intelligence on the IRGC and its leadership, which Washington accuses of orchestrating attacks against Americans and supporting terrorism.

The reward targets Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several key figures inside Iran’s ruling security apparatus.

The department said it is also seeking information about Ali Asghar Hejazi, deputy chief of staff for the Supreme Leader’s Office, and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

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The program also lists several senior figures linked to Iran’s security and intelligence structure, including Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to the supreme leader, Esmail Khatib, Iran’s minister of intelligence, and Eskandar Momeni, the country’s interior minister.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), part of Iran’s official military, plays a central role in Iran’s use of terrorism as a key tool of Iranian statecraft," the State Department said.

"In addition, the IRGC has created, supported, and directed other terrorist groups. The IRGC is responsible for numerous attacks targeting Americans and U.S. facilities, including those that have killed U.S. citizens," the department added.

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The agency said the IRGC has also expanded its influence far beyond military operations since its founding after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, becoming deeply embedded in the country’s political and economic system.

"Since its founding in 1979, the IRGC has gained a substantial role in executing Iran’s foreign policy," the department said. "The group now wields control over vast segments of Iran’s economy and is influential in Iranian domestic politics."

The Rewards for Justice program allows the U.S. government to offer financial rewards for information that helps disrupt terrorist networks or identify individuals involved in attacks against Americans.

The State Department said individuals who provide credible information may be eligible for rewards of up to $10 million.

As Iranian-designed Shahed drones proliferate across battlefields from Ukraine to the Middle East, relatively cheap unmanned aircraft are forcing the use of some of the world's most expensive air defense systems, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of that approach.

The issue has taken on new urgency in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, as Iranian drones — widely estimated to cost $20,000 to $50,000 to manufacture — target U.S. forces and allied Gulf states across the region.

U.S. and partner forces have relied on a mix of Patriot missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries, naval interceptors and other systems to blunt the attacks.

While many of the incoming drones have been intercepted, the strikes have still exacted a cost, killing six U.S. service members in Kuwait and damaging civilian infrastructure, including airports and hotels in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

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The mounting toll has intensified concerns over how to counter drone swarms without depleting interceptor stockpiles that cost millions of dollars each to replace.

Ukraine has been at the forefront of modern drone warfare since Russia’s 2022 invasion, rapidly adapting its tactics and emerging as a leader in battlefield drone technology.

Alex Roslin, a spokesman for the Ukrainian nonprofit miltech company Wild Hornets, told Fox News Digital in an interview that interceptor drones developed in Ukraine offer a dramatically cheaper alternative to traditional air defense systems.

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While a U.S. Patriot missile can cost roughly $4 million, Roslin said his organization’s interceptor drones can be produced for as little as $1,400 apiece.

Wild Hornets’ so-called "Sting" interceptors have downed thousands of Russian-made Shahed-type drones and now achieve a 90% effectiveness rate, according to the group, up from roughly 70% last fall as pilots and radar teams gained experience and adopted improved ground control systems.

"Ukraine had to fight smart and didn't have rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles, stuff like that, so they turned to these kinds of drones to sort of equalize the battlefield," Roslin told Fox News Digital.

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The Financial Times reported the Pentagon and at least one Gulf government are in talks to buy Ukrainian-made interceptors amid Iran's retaliatory attacks.

President Donald Trump told Reuters in a phone interview in early March that he would be open to assistance from any country, when asked about an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help defend against Iranian drones.

Zelenskyy said Friday in a post on X that Kyiv was sending a team of experts and military personnel to three countries in the Gulf region to help counter Tehran’s drones.

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"We know that in Middle Eastern countries, in the U.S., and in European states, there is a certain number of interceptor drones. But without our pilots, without our military personnel, without specialized software, none of this works," he wrote.

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the focus on air defense price tags can obscure the more pressing constraint.

"Capacity is even more important than cheap," he told Fox News Digital.

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Karako cited lower-cost counter-drone systems, including the Coyote interceptor and the Army’s Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, or LIDS, as examples of capabilities already fielded to address many drone threats without relying exclusively on high-end air defense systems such as the Patriot.

As Iran’s drone campaign widens, the debate is no longer just about the cost gap between missiles and drones, but about whether traditional air defenses can sustain a new era of mass, low-cost aerial warfare.

Iran is deploying explosive-laden drone boats disguised as wooden fishing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a defense expert has warned — a move that signals a new phase of hybrid maritime warfare in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

Cameron Chell, CEO of drone technology firm Draganfly, spoke after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that a Marshall Islands–flagged oil tanker was struck March 1 by an Iranian unmanned surface vehicle north of Muscat, Oman.

"UKMTO has received confirmation that the vessel was attacked by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), and that the crew has been evacuated to shore," UKMTO said in a threat assessment.

Reports also indicated that two additional oil tankers were hit March 11 by remote-controlled explosive boats in the Gulf, as Iran intensified attacks on foreign vessels following the start of the U.S. Operation Epic Fury against the regime on Feb. 28.

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The use of so-called "suicide skiffs" represents a growing asymmetric threat in the narrow, 21-mile-wide Strait, Chell warned, while highlighting the technological capabilities behind these attacks.

"The Iranians probably have use of radio remote control, line of sight, frequency hopping, or encrypted radio communication between the skiffs and the Hormuz shoreline," Chell told Fox News Digital.

"These can be jammed and tracked, but when there's 50 of these boats, it's hard to try to find them all along this shoreline or to find a 20-foot wooden fishing boat that is laden with explosives.

"They can have one person controlling a swarm of 10 boats," he said before describing how there "could also be autonomous swarming where they might have 10 boats that can act with a large level of independence, because they're pre-programmed."

"The boats would be used to ram into targets and explode," Chell clarified.

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Chell’s comments followed a March 12 Reuters report stating that six vessels had been attacked in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. 

Sources said that Iran had also deployed about a dozen mines, complicating efforts to maintain any traffic through the critical waterway.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News Thursday that the U.S. Navy, potentially alongside an international coalition, would escort ships when militarily feasible.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey also said discussions were underway with European counterparts stressing the global economic stakes tied to the strait. Chell, however, questioned current defensive readiness.

"The drone defense fleets that the U.S. Navy would not have been set up to take these suicide skiffs out," Chell said.

"The U.S. would be using manned aircraft in order to take them out, which are fantastic at taking out a large target, but inefficient in taking out 50 boats at one time that are an average of 25 or 30 feet in size, laden with explosives.

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"Given the Strait's geography, it would require patrolling by many aircraft and would require pervasive surveillance over the area, a rapid response to any activity that's happening," he said.

As Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait closed as leverage against the U.S. and Israel, oil prices continue to surge, with Chell also highlighting the geographic advantage Iran holds.

"The geographic layout of the Strait lends itself very well to relatively unsophisticated suicide skiffs, unmanned surface vehicles or USVs," he warned before describing how the area "lends itself to this low-cost, automatic, asymmetric warfare."

"The Iranians can disguise them as fishing boats and can be anywhere from 12 to 30 feet and a boat could be of any description," Chell said.

"These skiffs are equipped with basic remote control capabilities that may or may not be using GPS waypoints or manual remote control."

"The skiffs are not autonomous, because the distance across the Strait is so short, and it's very flat across this waterway, the communication signal could be carried for quite some time via a line of sight," he added.

"They could literally have hundreds out there at a time because they're also so inexpensive to defend against," Chell said.

EXCLUSIVE: Cryptocurrency infrastructure linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued operating during the country’s nationwide internet blackout after the Feb. 28 U.S.–Israeli strikes, a cyber intelligence report reviewed by Fox News Digital claims. It allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto to move out of the country.

Omri Raiter, founder and CEO of RAKIA, a cyber intelligence firm that develops data analysis platforms used by governments and security agencies, told Fox News Digital his team began monitoring Iranian cryptocurrency activity in real time after the attacks and quickly detected a surge of funds leaving Iranian-linked crypto accounts.

"We've seen a surge of funds since the first hours of the war," Raiter said. "It started with tens of millions in the first hours, and it grew to hundreds of millions and more. Money was just flowing out from Iranian crypto accounts."

Wallets linked to the IRGC received more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, according to the internal report based on blockchain intelligence data cited by RAKIA. The report also cites publicly available data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, which estimated Iran’s cryptocurrency ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in activity in 2025.

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Raiter said the data suggests Iran has developed a significant crypto-based financial infrastructure capable of operating even during heavy sanctions and communications shutdowns.

"The IRGC has been financing proxy operations through the very same crypto corridors that sanctions were designed to shut down," Raiter said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned cryptocurrency exchanges tied to Iranian actors Jan. 30, marking one of the first times the U.S. targeted entire digital asset platforms rather than individual wallets for sanctions evasion linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move was part of a broader effort to disrupt financial networks connected to Tehran, Iran. 

"The Treasury will continue to pursue Iranian networks and corrupt elites who enrich themselves at the expense of the people," Bessent said in a Treasury press release in January. "This also applies to attempts by the regime to use digital assets to circumvent sanctions."

The recent surge appears to reflect two parallel trends: funds moving to support Iran’s regional proxy networks and money being moved by individuals connected to the regime seeking to protect their personal wealth, according to RAKIA’s analysis. 

"The proxy war funding and the personal capital flight are two sides of the same coin," Raiter said. "They move through the same pipelines."

IRAN WAR, 11 DAYS IN: US CONTROLS SKIES, OIL SURGES AND THE REGION BRACES FOR WHAT’S NEXT

Raiter said the firm identified cryptocurrency flows connected to networks previously associated with Iran-backed groups. 

"Some of the accounts we saw are connected to areas where money historically flows to proxy wars," he told Fox News Digital, citing activity linked to Lebanon and Yemen.

"Some of it could be people inside the IRGC trying to move their own money," Raiter said. "But when you see the scale and the timing, it looks coordinated."

The report produced by RAKIA claims the activity continued even after Iran imposed a sweeping internet shutdown across the country. National connectivity dropped to roughly 1% of normal levels during the blackout, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. 

FROM MISSILES TO MINERALS: THE STRATEGIC MEANING BEHIND THE IRAN STRIKE

Despite that shutdown, RAKIA researchers said they detected more than 1,100 active cryptocurrency nodes operating inside Iran.

"When the internet is at one percent and you still see over a thousand active crypto nodes, you're not looking at retail users," Tom Malca, RAKIA’s head of cyber and AI research, said in the report. "Those nodes require dedicated bandwidth, stable power and deliberate exemption from the shutdown."

RAKIA researchers said the activity suggests specialized infrastructure continued operating even as millions of Iranian civilians were cut off from the internet.

Most of the nodes were concentrated in the Tehran–Qom corridor, according to the report, an area that includes major government and IRGC institutions. Smaller clusters were detected in Iranian cities, including Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz and Kermanshah, according to the analysis.

RAKIA said its investigation relied on a combination of network monitoring and publicly available blockchain intelligence.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York for comment on the claims made in the report. The mission did not respond.

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Squadron 200, also known as the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadron, has played a crucial role in destroying more than half of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile launchers as the 14th day of the war unfolds across the Middle East.

Fox News Digital gained access to one of Israel’s most experienced and veteran UAV operators from Squadron 200. "I have been flying drones for the past 25 years, and other operational missions have prepared me for this war," said the IDF Squadron leader.

He summed up the highly sensitive nature of his work in protecting the Israeli civilian population. "Every night that my wife and my kids sleep a full night without an alarm is something I can give credit to the air force and drone operators." Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.

IRAN PROXIES WAGE WAR ON ISRAEL, THREATEN US INTERESTS AS IRAQ SLAMMED FOR NOT DISARMING THEM

The IDF drone commander said the main goal of his squadron is to "find rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles that are a risk to our pilots who fly over and destroy them before they launch missiles and gain air superiority for the area and reduce the risk for civilians back at home."

He added that "We can take a lot of credit for the reduction" in Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.

The stakes are high for the UAV operators. Iran's aerial warfare campaign has led to the deaths of 12 Israelis and over 2,975 people have been admitted to Israeli hospitals. 

An IDF spokesman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Iran has launched "many dozens of missiles with cluster bomb heads spread across Israel."  The cluster munitions are particularly lethal because they murder or severely injure with scattered bomblets that can also stay active long after their launch.

Just days ago, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, told Fox News Digital that the army has had a "near complete success" rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets. 

However, the drone commander warned that the "great decrease in the number of launchers does not mean we can sit and rest."

TRUMP SAYS US, ISRAEL SHATTERED IRANIAN MILITARY CAPABILITIES, PRESSES LEADERS TO SURRENDER: 'CRY UNCLE'

The IDF drone commander said, "one thing we learned from October 7 is that we should eliminate risks before they become too big."

"The important thing is the goal of bringing peace to the Middle East," he said with reference to when Iran and Israel had cordial relations before the 1979 Islamic Republic revolution in Iran and President Trump’s advocacy for peace in the region.

The complex running of a drone team was described as "orchestra" work, by the UAV operator, where a 3-person crew — commander, pilot and operator — seamlessly coordinate their various activities.

According to the IDF, Squadron 200 operates the Heron-1 ("Shoval") UAV, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, support of ground forces and precision strike missions."

The IDF said that the air force’s drones "are capable of remaining airborne for extended periods and providing real-time intelligence to forces on the ground, both day and night and over long distances.

The squadron was established in the 1970s as part of the development of the Israeli Air Force’s UAV array and has since participated in numerous operations across different arenas."

Two foster children who had been living with a convicted transgender triple killer, despite authorities being aware of the situation since late December 2025, are no longer residing with the violent criminal, according to local media reports.

Reginald Arthurell — who began transitioning to a woman shortly after his release from prison in 2020 — was removed from the home after heavily armed officers raided the address on Monday, radio station 2GB reported. He had been living with a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old for several months, the outlet said. 

The minister for Families and Communities of New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday issued an apology, saying the situation "should never have been allowed."  

"It is entirely unacceptable for a vulnerable child in the care of the state to be living with a triple murderer," Kate Washington told 2GB. "It should never have happened and I'm deeply apologetic for what has happened."

VIOLENT REPEAT OFFENDER ACCUSED OF KILLING TEACHER AS 911 CALL REVEALED HER FINAL MOMENTS: REPORT

She added that "very poor decisions were made" at the time when authorities became aware of the situation and said a review is underway to determine how the "terrible" circumstances were allowed to happen, promising systemic changes.

The situation has sparked widespread backlash and calls for the resignation of authorities who allowed the crisis to continue for months. 

Late last year, Arthurell moved into an existing foster home in Sydney, where two children were already living under the care of an elderly woman, 2GB reported. He reportedly met her while she was working at a hospital, and he was a patient there.

The woman, who invited him to move in as a housemate, already had two foster children living with her under her approved placement with the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice.

Arthurell therefore shared the household with the children. The arrangement went unnoticed by authorities until the carer’s daughter reportedly raised concerns late last year.

FLORIDA MAN WHO WRESTLED COP'S GUN AWAY AND KILLED HIM TO BE EXECUTED AFTER FINAL APPEALS REJECTED

Prior to moving in, Arthurell had built a long criminal history, primarily involving the killings of three people over three decades, court documents show. He was first convicted of manslaughter in 1974 for reportedly stabbing his stepfather to death in Sydney. In 1981, he fatally bashed a 19-year-old sailor during a violent robbery, and while on parole in 1995, he killed his fiancée by beating her to death with a piece of wood, local outlets reported.

After killing his romantic partner, he was caught photographing himself wearing one of her dresses, 2GB added.

All three killings involved alcohol, court documents show. Records indicate that Arthurell spent nearly 39 years of his life in custody following the murders.

After his prison release in November 2020, Arthurell began transitioning into a woman under the name Regina. The first public photos and self-introductions appeared on a transgender community Facebook page in May 2021, 2GB reported. Arthurell had also expressed plans to undergo gender-affirming surgery "as soon as possible," News.com.au reported.

Court documents also described that "her transition has been taking place over quite some years," confirming the process was ongoing after his release.

Arthurell now remains in private accommodation following his Monday removal, ABC Australia reported Tuesday. 

After President Donald Trump warned recently about Iranian "sleeper cells" potentially operating in North America, Canadian opposition lawmakers are accusing their government of allowing operatives linked to Tehran’s regime to remain in the country.

Trump said Wednesday U.S. authorities were monitoring Iranian networks believed to have entered the United States in recent years.

"I have been (briefed), and a lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border," Trump said in response to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy. "But we know where most of them are. We've got our eye on all of them."

The remarks came amid growing concern among Western security officials about Iranian intelligence activities targeting critics abroad.

FROM HOSTAGE CRISIS TO ASSASSINATION PLOTS: IRAN’S NEAR HALF-CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS

In Canada, senior Conservatives say the government has failed to act against Iranian regime officials despite identifying individuals linked to Tehran.

Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman, immigration shadow minister Michelle Rempel and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Québec lieutenant, called upon the Liberal government, in a statement released in Ottawa, to table a plan within one week to take immediate action to stop Iranian regime activities in Canada.

"The Liberals have known for years that there are hundreds of Iranian regime officials in Canada, 239 of whom have had their visas" canceled, the lawmakers said.

NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT URGES DHS TO RAISE TERROR THREAT LEVEL, WARNS OF SLEEPER CELL RISKS IN US

They added that government officials told a parliamentary immigration committee recently that only one person has been deported so far, citing legal obstacles, including asylum claims, the absence of direct flights to Iran and privacy protections.

"The presence of agents of the Islamic Republic in Canada is not a new issue," Maryam Shariatmadari told Fox News Digital. 

Shariatmadari is one of the faces of the "Girls of Revolution Street" protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws who fled Iran after being imprisoned and now lives in exile in Canada. 

"For years, the people of Iran have expressed concern about the presence of these individuals and their children in Canada," Shariatmadari added. 

"A clear example is Mahmoud Reza Khavari and Marjan Al-Agha, who are known embezzlers," she claimed. Iran Wire reported on the case in 2022. "What is striking is that an economic magazine that introduces entrepreneurs has presented the son of Mahmoud Reza Khavari — the former CEO of Bank Melli and a convicted criminal in Iran — as an ‘inspiring businessman’ in Canada and has described him as ‘a young leader.’

"But these days we are seeing more of these individuals," Shariatmadari added. "Their presence has become more visible, and they are organizing gatherings under the slogan ‘No to War,’ while expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, they remained completely silent about the killing of Iranians."

DHS REMAINS UNFUNDED AS IRAN SLEEPER CELL FEARS SPIKE NATIONWIDE AMID SECURITY WARNINGS

Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, who now lives in Canada, told Fox News Digital that individuals linked to Iran’s regime often arrive in Western countries through several different channels. 

"Some arrive as students, academics or ordinary immigrants but were already connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps through family ties or ideological affiliation," he said. "They often try to identify activists and critics, so those individuals can face legal or judicial problems either in Iran or even abroad."

Ghadimi said another category operates primarily through financial networks tied to the regime. 

"Another group includes people who used to be members of the IRGC or other state institutions and later enter countries like Canada as private investors," he said. "When someone brings several million dollars for investment, it raises questions about where that money came from."

He added that wealthy business figures who move capital abroad may also do so with the approval of Iran’s security establishment. 

"If someone is moving large amounts of money out of Iran and investing abroad, it is very difficult to do that without the approval of the IRGC and the security institutions of the Islamic Republic," he said.

Ghadimi also pointed to past corruption scandals involving Iranian officials who moved large sums of money overseas, including the case of Khavari, who fled Iran after a major banking scandal and later settled in Canada. 

The criticism comes as Canadian police investigate the disappearance of Iranian dissident Masood Masjoody, a mathematician and critic of Iran’s clerical leadership who vanished earlier this year in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Investigators with Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team say evidence suggests Masjoody was likely the victim of murder, though authorities have not publicly identified suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing, according to The Guardian.

Police say investigators are reviewing Masjoody’s background and personal history as part of the probe, and Canadian media reports have noted aspects of his past that authorities are examining as they work to determine a possible motive.

The case has heightened concerns among Canada’s Iranian diaspora, many of whom have warned for years that Iran monitors and intimidates critics abroad.

Conservatives argue weaknesses in immigration enforcement have allowed individuals linked to the Iranian regime to remain in the country despite visa bans and sanctions imposed by Ottawa.

They are calling on the government to urgently enforce deportation orders against Iranian regime officials, disrupt financial networks linked to Tehran and establish a long-delayed foreign influence registry aimed at exposing agents working on behalf of foreign governments.

"The Liberals can take action against the Iranian regime today, at home within our own borders," they said in the statement. "Too much is at stake. We expect a plan within the week." 

"It’s not complicated. Iran’s regime must not find safe haven in Canada," Lantsman said.

The Canadian government directed Fox News Digital to the Canada Border Services Agency, which did not respond to a request for comment.

China’s top legislature on Thursday passed an "Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law," formalizing Beijing’s long-running push to strengthen national identity and ethnic integration.

The legislation was approved at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress during its annual parliamentary gathering in Beijing.

State-affiliated media Xinhua previously reported that the law would seek to codify "fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation" into state policy. 

It would also bolster high-quality development in areas with large ethnic minority populations and promote what officials describe as common prosperity among China’s 56 ethnic groups.

CHINESE UNDERGROUND CHURCH PASTOR, FATHER OF US CITIZENS, DETAINED BY AUTHORITIES, FAMILY SAYS

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the measure was aimed at advancing the governance of ethnic affairs under the rule of law.

"The people of each ethnic group, all organizations and groups of the country, armed forces, every Party and social organization, every company, must forge a common consciousness of the Chinese nation according to law and the constitution, and take the responsibility of building this consciousness," the proposed law reads, according to a translation from The Associated Press.

Academics and outside observers say the provision could undermine the cultural identity of ethnic minorities by requiring the use of Mandarin in compulsory education and establishing a legal basis to pursue individuals or organizations outside China whose actions are deemed to undermine "ethnic unity," the AP reported.

TRUMP SAYS IT’S AN 'HONOR' TO KEEP STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN FOR CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES

China’s population stands at 1.44 billion as of November 2020, according to the Seventh National Population Census released in 2021 by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Of that total, 91.11% were Han Chinese and 8.89% belonged to ethnic minority groups.

CRUZ LEADS SENATE PUSH TO HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE FOR BEIJING CHURCH CRACKDOWN

James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s La Trobe University, told the AP the new measure "puts a death nail in the party’s original promise of meaningful autonomy."

Rayhan Asat, a legal scholar at Harvard University, also criticized the law, saying it "serves as a strategic tool and gives the pretext to government to commit all sorts of human rights violations."

JERUSALEM: Iran proxy Hezbollah fired some 200 missiles and drones into the Jewish state overnight and into Thursday in what Israeli media described as an "integrated Hezbollah and Iran joint attack."

The attacks prompted fierce retaliatory strikes from the Israeli Defense Forces into Hezbollah strongholds in the Beirut suburbs.

The Israel Defense Forces said, "The IDF is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization following its deliberate decision to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime. The IDF will not tolerate any harm to Israeli civilians and will forcibly respond against any threat posed to the State of Israel."

Calling its new operation "Eaten Straw," the terror group claimed to have targeted Israeli military sites in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, among other targets.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH BORDER TENSIONS RISE AS TERROR GROUP REARMS, RESISTS US- BACKED CEASEFIRE

Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah from the Washington Institute, told Fox News about Eaten Straw. "The term comes from a Koran verse about destroying one’s enemies to the point that they are destroyed like grains of straw husks. In fact, it is going to lead to a massive Israel response."

Just days prior to Wednesday’s attacks, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun charged Hezbollah with pushing Lebanon into becoming  "a second Gaza."

An Israeli security expert from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, Sarit Zehavi, told Fox News Digital, that "I think that Hezbollah is trying to scare Israel from launching further operations and I truly hope that we will not be afraid, and our government will do what it has to do."

IRAN COULD ‘ACTIVATE’ HEZBOLLAH IF US TARGETS REGIME, TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE TO DECIDE: EXPERT

The Lebanese armed forces also failed to meet President Trump’s deadline to disarm Hezbollah terrorist organization in 2025. 

The Lebanese government announced on Tuesday that it is interested in direct talks with Israel to end the current conflict with Hezbollah, yet one Israeli official claimed Beirut was not "affecting Hezbollah’s behavior in any way," the Times of Israel cited a report from news site Y-Net reported.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, speaking Wednesday, told members of the United Nations Security Council in New York that, "Lebanon now faces two options: either the Lebanese government takes real actions and restrains Hezbollah, or Israel uses its force to dismantle this terrorist organization. There is no other option."

Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, dismissed the Lebanese government overtures to Israel as political theater. He referenced the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah that concluded with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, requiring the Lebanese state and army to disarm Hezbollah, as a failed effort.

Cohen told Fox News Digital: "I don’t believe the Lebanese government. It is a game between them and Hezbollah. The Lebanese offered, for the first time since 1982, it would agree to dialogue with Israel. The first condition is a ceasefire. Hezbollah told the Lebanese government give the Israelis this offer. Hezbollah wants to stop this war. And that is how the government of Lebanon jokes about us."

Speaking during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Lebanese Ambassador Ahmad Arafa told the council, "The Lebanese people do not want war, and the Lebanese government is moving forward in implementing its decisions and will not backtrack," The National reported. 

According to the National report, Arafa said, "In our modern history, no Lebanese government has demonstrated this level of courage and determination to reclaim the state authority, to restrict weapons to legitimate state institutions and to extend the state's control exclusively through its own forces over all Lebanese territory."

An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that "The Lebanese government needs to get a grip on their country or Hezbollah parts of Beirut will soon look like Gaza."

Spain permanently pulled its ambassador to Israel on Tuesday over its opposition to the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, ratcheting up an already tense diplomatic rift between the two countries.

The Spanish government formally terminated the ambassador’s post in its official gazette and said its embassy in Tel Aviv will now be led by a chargé d’affaires indefinitely.

Madrid had recalled its ambassador last September after Israel condemned Spain’s decision to block aircraft and ships carrying weapons to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the move antisemitic at the time.

When a reporter on Wednesday asked whether Spain, in general, was cooperating with the U.S., President Donald Trump replied, "No, they're not. I think they're not cooperating at all."

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

"Spain, I think they've been very bad," the president said. "Very bad. Not good at all. We may cut off trade with Spain."

"I don’t know what Spain is doing," Trump continued. "They've been very bad to NATO. They get protected, they don't want to pay their fair share. And they've been that way for many years."

Trump added that the people of Spain "are fantastic," whereas the leadership is "not so good."

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Wednesday criticized Spain’s decision to recall its ambassador to Israel permanently as "hard for me to absorb."

"Spain is a member of NATO, and the United States and Israel are in joint operations against the Iranian regime who openly calls for the destruction of the Jewish State, attacks against the West, and seeks to purify Islam in its own image," Graham wrote on X.

"The religious Nazi regime in Iran is the problem, not the Jewish State," the senator continued. "I hope Spain’s actions will not encourage the tyrannical, fanatical regime in Iran — that abuses its own people — to hang on."

Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated sharply since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.

Israel also downgraded its diplomatic presence in Spain last May after Spain recognized a Palestinian state, placing its own embassy in Madrid under a chargé d’affaires.

Over the weekend, two Toronto synagogues were attacked by gunfire. Several days earlier, another synagogue was hit by around twenty gunshots on the Jewish holiday of Purim. 

Though the three attacks caused no injuries, many in the Jewish community are demanding concrete action from Prime Minister Mark Carney — not just words of comfort that have typically followed such antisemitic incidents.

Carney took to X saying that the "antisemitic and criminal attacks violate the right of Canadian Jewish men and women to live and pray in complete safety" and "represent a serious assault on the way of life of all Canadians."

ISRAELI MINISTER WARNS CANADA IS 'MARCHING TOWARD THE ABYSS' AFTER JEWISH MAN ATTACKED IN FRONT OF CHILDREN

In the aftermath of the first synagogue attack, Israel's National Security Council warned Israelis overseas to "maintain vigilance and adhere to safety precautions." Among their suggestions were for Israelis to "conceal Jewish and Israeli identifiers while in public spaces," to be aware of surroundings "in areas associated with Israel or Judaism," and to "avoid visiting sites identified as Jewish or Israeli."

On X, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that "all eyes are on Canada: it’s time to halt the unprecedented wave of Jew-hatred that has erupted since October 7th."

Like many Western countries, Canada has seen a marked rise in annual antisemitic incidents since the Hamas terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The League for Human Rights B’nai Brith Canada found that there were 6,219 incidents of antisemitism in Canada in 2024. This constituted an average of 17 incidents per day, more than double the eight incidents per day calculated in 2022. 

CANADA’S ANTISEMITISM ENVOY RESIGNS, CITING EXHAUSTION AMID HATE SURGE

While figures for 2025 have yet to be released, Public Safety Canada noted that from April to June 2025, "Among hate crimes targeting religion… the majority were directed at the Jewish community (69%)."

Conservative MP Roman Baber, said the behavior of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other liberal Canadian politicians have been "adding fuel to the fire of Jew hatred in Canada."

Baber aimed further criticism at Carney, saying, "When the Prime Minister on the campaign trail says he knows there is genocide in Gaza, he engages in Jew hatred."

Baber was referring to an event in April 2025 during which a heckler yelled over a bustling crowd that "there is a genocide happening in Gaza." Carney responded, "I’m aware, that’s why we have an arms embargo."

SKYROCKETING ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA SPARKS CONCERN FOR COUNTRY'S JEWS AHEAD OF ELECTION

Carney later said that he did not hear the heckler use the term "genocide."

Baber noted that "when the Prime Minister recognized the Palestinian state, he rewarded the brutality of Hamas, and he did so on the eve of Rosh Hashanah."

In his announcement, released the day prior to the Jewish holiday, Carney claimed that recognizing "the State of Palestine, led by the Palestinian Authority, empowers those who seek peaceful coexistence and the end of Hamas," and "in no way legitimizes terrorism, nor is it any reward for it." He also claimed recognition "in no way compromises Canada’s steadfast support for the State of Israel, its people, and their security." 

Watchdog organization StopAntisemitism told Fox News Digital that "every day we are seeing painful reminders that antisemitism remains a real and dangerous threat. Acts of violence meant to intimidate or silence our community will not succeed. Loud and proud Jews will not allow hatred or fear to deter our Jewish way of life or our presence in the world. Not in Canada, in the United States, in Europe, and certainly not in Israel."

StopAntisemitism called for the perpetrators to "be punished to the fullest extent of the law so that justice is served and deterrence is clear."

A suspected retaliatory drone attack by pro-Iranian militias struck a major U.S. diplomatic facility in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

The newspaper said the strike hit the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, and no injuries were immediately reported.

Six drones were launched toward the compound, five of which were shot down.

The Post, citing a security official and a State Department alert, reported one drone struck near a guard tower and people at the facility were instructed to "duck and cover."

GULF STATES INTERCEPT HUNDREDS OF IRANIAN MISSILES AND DRONES, ISSUE JOINT CONDEMNATION WITH US

"Accountability is ongoing," the alert said.

Iraq’s ministry of defense condemned the drone and missile attacks targeting the Martyr Muhammad Alaa Air Base and the Martyr Ali Fallah Air Base in a post on X but did not mention the hit on the U.S. facility or Iran directly.

"In response to these sinful aggressions, the Ministry wishes to clarify and confirm the following facts: These air bases are fully sovereign and Iraqi, subject entirely to the authority of the state and the law, and there is no representation of any foreign forces in them under any designation," the government account wrote.

The security official told The Washington Post the attack was likely conducted by militias affiliated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose umbrella group of Iran-aligned Shiite armed factions that have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

US EMBASSY STRUCK BY DRONES IN SAUDI ARABIA AS AMERICANS INSTRUCTED TO SHELTER IN PLACE

At the start of Operation Epic Fury, the State Department had urged Americans to depart immediately from more than a dozen countries across the Middle East, warning of "serious safety risks" as the Iran war intensified.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said on March 2 that U.S. citizens should leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The department said Americans who need help arranging departure via commercial means can contact the State Department 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada.

IRAN PROXIES WAGE WAR ON ISRAEL, THREATEN US INTERESTS AS IRAQ SLAMMED FOR NOT DISARMING THEM

Officials warned conditions in the region remain volatile, and security situations could change quickly as fighting tied to the conflict continues.

At least nine U.S. missions, including Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Israel, issued repeated shelter-in-place directives or advisories at the outset of Iran’s retaliatory attacks against U.S. forces and Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention," accusing the Taliban of "unjustly" detaining Americans and other foreign nationals.

In his announcement on Monday, Rubio said the Taliban continues to use "terrorist tactics" that he insisted "need to end."

"I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention," Rubio said in a statement. "The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end."

The secretary also called on the terror group to free a pair of Americans who are "unjustly detained" in Afghanistan.

IRAN REGIME CITED AS TRUMP ADMIN SET TO DESIGNATE SUDAN'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD A TERROR GROUP

"It is not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals," he said. "The Taliban needs to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever."

Coyle, 64, was detained more than a year ago without charges by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, according to his family, noting that he still has not been charged. His family said he was legally working to support Afghan language communities as an academic researcher.

Habibi, a 38-year-old American citizen who was born in Afghanistan, was taken along with his driver from their vehicle in the capital of Kabul in August 2022 by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, according to the State Department.

The FBI said Habibi was previously Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation and worked for the Kabul-based telecommunications company Asia Consultancy Group. The FBI said the Taliban detained 29 other employees of the company but has released most of them.

Habibi has not been heard from since his arrest, and the Taliban has not disclosed his whereabouts or condition, according to the State Department and FBI. The Taliban has previously denied it detained Habibi.

The U.S. is also calling for the return of the remains of Paul Overby, an author who was last seen close to Afghanistan's border with Pakistan in 2014, according to Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the situation.

The State Department could restrict the use of U.S. passports for travel to Afghanistan if the Taliban does not meet the U.S. government's demands, the sources told the outlet.

A passport restriction of this kind is currently only in place for North Korea.

The Taliban called the decision by Rubio to designate Afghanistan a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" regrettable, adding that it wanted to resolve the matter through dialogue.

STATE DEPARTMENT DEFENDS 'PROACTIVE' EVACUATION EFFORTS AGAINST DEMS' CLAIMS OF DIPLOMATIC CHAOS

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 during the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country that ended the 20-year war in the region.

Rubio gave the "state sponsor of wrongful detention" designation to Iran late last month, just one day before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on the country. He warned that the U.S. could restrict travel to Iran over its detention of U.S. citizens, but there have not been any restrictions yet.

"The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions," Rubio said at the time.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Hezbollah and Iran launched a coordinated strike strategy Tuesday, a national security expert claimed, as reports emerged that deadly cluster munitions were hitting Israel in synchronized attacks.

The developments unfolded on day 11 of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran, marking a potential escalation in the widening regional conflict.

"Hezbollah has fully joined the war, and it looks like they are now very well coordinated with Iran," Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital while speaking from his bomb shelter near Tel Aviv.

"Most of Hezbollah's rockets and drones are launched simultaneously with the Iranian missiles," he said.

IRAN'S SENIOR CLERICS ‘EXPOSED’ AFTER BUILDING STRIKE IN QOM, SUCCESSION CHOICE LOOMS

Israel confirmed Tuesday that Iran had been firing cluster munitions — adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s stretched air defenses, The Associated Press reported.

The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area. The smaller bombs, which at night can resemble orange fireballs, are difficult to intercept and have proven lethal.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy also said despite Israel's strong air defense, half of the missiles are hard to defend against because half of the missiles are cluster munitions.

"The Iranian use of cluster missiles and the idea that they deliberately target civilians and civil facilities must be considered as a use of non-conventional weapons, and the American-Israeli response must be appropriate," Michael urged.

Banned by more than 120 nations under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the weapons are widely condemned for their broad-area, indiscriminate effects that often result in catastrophic civilian harm.

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Michael spoke as Reuters reported Hezbollah was applying lessons from its last war with Israel as it prepares for a possible full-scale Israeli invasion and protracted conflict. 

It said sources claimed the group was returning to its roots in guerrilla warfare in south Lebanon.

"Operating in small units, fighters from the Iran-backed group are avoiding the use of communication devices that could be at risk of Israeli tapping and are rationing the use of key anti-tank rockets as they engage Israeli troops," said the sources, familiar with Hezbollah military activities.

Michael also said that the "north of the country, toward the Haifa area, is under heavy bombing."

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"Israeli citizens have to spend most of the time in the shelter rooms as Hezbollah and Iran deliberately target civilians and civilian facilities," he said.

"Tel Aviv is still under an emergency routine, with sirens continuing and many people spending a lot of time in the bomb shelter rooms," he added before highlighting that "Israel is a small country and will not be able to continue containing such asymmetry and this type of attrition war."

As of Tuesday night local time, the IDF said it had launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs. 

This came after the military reiterated its warning to evacuate the area, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.

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In a post shared on X, the IDF said: "This is what we’re operating against."

Reuters sources also claimed much of Hezbollah's fighting on the ground had been focused so far near the town of Khiyam, near the intersection of Lebanon's border with Israel and Syria.

This is one area where Hezbollah believes any Israeli land invasion could begin. Hezbollah's elite Radwan fighters, who withdrew from the south following the 2024 ceasefire, had also returned to the area, it said.

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"Israel will no doubt take control over a wide territory in south Lebanon, from the international border to the Litani River, in order to establish a security buffer zone," Michael said.

"This will prevent Hezbollah from attacking the Israeli villages and towns in the north of the country and will intensify the attacks against Hezbollah all over Lebanon," Michael added.

"We hope that President Trump will not stop or use the formula he used with the Houthis, declaring victory and leaving the wounded lion incapable of revenge and/or reconstituting itself."

Meanwhile, an Israeli military official, speaking anonymously under army briefing rules, said Tuesday that roughly half of the projectiles Iran was launching toward Israel were now cluster bombs, The Associated Press said.